I Volunteer
by superxprettyxkitty
Summary: Each year students from the ages of 12-18 are forced to be reaped and compete in the ever violent Hunger Games. When things take a turn for the worse at the reaping, Sirius is forced to make some touch choices over friends, family and his Gryffindor pride as one by one people are slaughtered before his eyes. Set in the Marauders era.
1. Prologue

This is my second fanfic of Harry Potter X Hunger Games

Teen audience and up

No warnings other than Hunger Games ones

Reviews? They inspire me

Enjoy! x - SXPXK

It was the evening of June 12th, Thursday, and the entire Hogwarts castle had fallen silent. Most children, even in the Muggle world, would have either broken up from school for the summer holidays, or they would be breaking up within the next few weeks, but not Hogwarts. Each and every year the students would leave by June 1st to have one or two weeks home with their families before they were to return, it was mandatory that all students between the ages of 12 and 18 came back a day prior to the event that made this so vitally important. After all, tomorrow was the reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games and they all needed to be there to see whose name would be called.

Sirius Black was sitting up in his dormitory in silence like everyone else. The sun was setting over the horizon through the windows of the Gryffindor tower shining beautiful colours of gold, amber and scarlet across the grounds. The giant squid lolled lazily in the lake, the water glimmering like thousands of little diamonds. One might have said it were beautiful, but tonight was no night to be thinking about the beauty of the world. Tomorrow twenty four children would be called forth, they would say their final goodbye's to their families and sent to the Ministry for their training in London and their interviews and finally into the arena.

"Guys," James Potter spoke slowly, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips, "whatever happens tomorrow, I want you to know that we'll all be friends forever, agreed?"

Sirius looked up from where he sat stroking his bottom lip between his thumb and index finger, his eyes had been trained on the maroon and gold bed covers for so long he'd forgotten to blond and when he turned his attention on James, he felt them burn slightly.

Around the room, Remus and Peter looked up at him nervously. Their faces were set in stone of anxiety, concern, fear and something close to hatred. Nobody could possibly predict what would happen tomorrow, not a single person.

Remus looked down for a moment and clasped his hands together as he sat cross-legged on his bed. "I think we have to look at this logically for a moment," he said quietly "we're all sixteen, we've just left fifth year, none of us are Muggle-born and none of us have taken much tesserae apart from Peter and he only took it once"

Sirius looked up at his friend with worried eyes. Tesserae was what some students took when they had little money to afford clothing and expensive school supplies, when they needed certain equipment or to pay for outside expenses. While nobody had to pay for their education, they still had to buy the things they needed in order to actually attend school such as uniform, books, a wand, supplies, cauldrons, replacement items and new things every year. Many students did take this, especially half-blood's and Muggle-born's. Sirius was worried, he couldn't deny it, despite not taking the tesserae, Remus was a half-blood and by law each half-blood was required to entire their name twice per year whereas pure-blood's only had to enter once, so in total, Remus' name was entered eight times rather than four as was Peter's. Muggle-born's had to enter their name three times per year...

"We just have to look to the positive side," Remus spoke again "we can't keep worrying about this, there are few hundred students in the school with their names in far more times than us so we have to look at it that way"

Sirius managed a small, weak smile. "I just want to say that I love you guys" he had to stop there, his voice was beginning to crack and he wasn't the type of person to show much emotion outwardly, not because he couldn't feel it, but because he didn't want to, he didn't like that, didn't like to feel vulnerable.

There was a murmur of agreement as everyone stood or sat about the dormitory lost in their own heads. The whole castle was silent, even the portraits were very quiet today. This wasn't a normal day, tomorrow morning they would all be called down to the Great Hall for the Minister himself and other people to arrive before they would use the giant reaping balls to pluck names and send their children off to fight to the death.

...

Nobody slept all that much tonight, the fear and worry was overwhelming. This was real, this was really happening whether anyone wanted it to happen or not. Sirius sat up on the ledge, one leg dangling lazily out of the dormitory window as he watched the sun coming up in the sky. It was going to be another beautiful day, oh the irony.

People took pleasure from this, people would have gone to bed last night feeling as though it were Christmas eve and they were about to see which tributes were going into the arena. It was sick and twisted.

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?" Remus' voice interrupted Sirius' distant thoughts.

Sirius looked up and blinked at the boy. "Oh, it's you... come on, have a seat" he nodded to the gap in front of him.

Remus swallowed and sank down opposite his friend, searched his face worriedly. There was a long silence in which the sun rose slightly higher above the horizon before anyone spoke. "You know, Sirius, everyone else is feeling the same way you are, we've all gone through it over the years"

"I know"

"We're all going to be okay" Remus breathed.

"Do you promise that?" Sirius asked, his dark eyebrows furrowed deeply as he turned to look his friend straight in the eye.

"I can't promise it for definite, but I think we'll all be okay" Remus managed a tiny smile.

Sirius found himself smiling back and together they sat and watched the sun rise.

...

An hour or so had passed before the boy's finally managed to get up and get themselves washed and dressed. Nobody spoke at all in the process, they could barely look one another in the eye. If none of them were going into the arena, they would at least know someone who was, if not be friends with them.

But some people in the castle didn't all feel the same way. Some people felt like it was an honour, a way of proving themselves and a way of amplifying their abilities.

"I wouldn't volunteer" said Avery, as he dressed in his most expensive robes. "But if I were to be chosen then I would be an honourable pure-blood and hold my head high"

"Yeah, the likelihood of any of us being chosen is fairly slim," said Mulciber, "my name is in four times, so if yours"

"Mine is in three" said Wilkes.

"Two" said Barty. The younger boys had made it a bit of a tradition to go and see their older friends on the day of the reaping, it could be the last time they ever saw them alive, but it could also be the last time they saw one of their friends before they became a Victor.

"It doesn't matter if your name is only in there once," said Evan Rosier, "you can just volunteer if you really wanted to go in, most pure-blood's receive some special training from their families if they want it, after all, we're wealthy people and we deserve it"

The other boy's laughed. Snape looked away, he was a half-blood, his name was in there twenty eight times, a drastic amount more most of his friends had but there was no way knowing that they would ever find out about it. He had taken tesserae, his mother could barely afford things, although he hadn't taken much of the tesserae, the Ministry still saw it as an excuse to sling his name in four extra times each which to anyone was completely unfair. Wrinkling his nose, Severus dressed himself hoping that he would be okay, he had to remain calm, cool and collected otherwise people would become suspicious and they may find out about it. He wasn't the only one to take tesserae in the school or be half-blood, some of the muggle-born's had taken it and he didn't even want to think about how many times their name must be in it. Compared to the number of students in the school and the entries, he shouldn't be very high on the selection list.

"It's not even like we can truly bet on who will be in the Games" Wilkes said, loudly.

"I know, I think it's very unfair" said Evan.

"It's just a common gamble" Avery agreed.

_Yeah, a common gamble for your life when your name is in there twenty eight times_, Severus thought bitterly.

Once they were dressed, they left the dormitory without much thought. Severus found himself glancing back at his things as he left.

...

"Guys" said Sirius, catching everyone's attention. They looked up and he beckoned them all over to him, wrapping his arms around them so they were in a little huddle. "No matter what happens today, we'll all be fine, okay?"

"Okay" James breathed back.

"We're brothers until the end" Remus whispered.

"And if one of us is called in, we can't volunteer in his place" Peter said rather quickly. It had been something they had agreed on during the first reaping. If one of them had been reaped, the others would not volunteer as a sign of respect for one another and to keep it away from the person they volunteered for's conscience.

"Agreed" they nodded.

The boys remained in their little huddle for a few more moments before they heard the dull, deep tolling from the clocktower which today in the silence, could be heard almost everywhere in the castle.

"It's time to go" Remus breathed.

Sirius swallowed and nodded. Taking one last look around his dormitory, his home, his friends, he left. James, Remus and Peter all took their time, almost whispering silent goodbye's before they left. If they were reaped, it would be the last time they'd ever see their Gryffindor dorm...

...

Students were everywhere and the silence alone was painful enough. They walked, mostly in single file down to the Great Hall, barely anyone was speaking apart from a few nods of greeting as they lined up in the entrance hall in their houses.

Portraits bowed their heads on the staircases in a mark of respect for the soon to be fallen tributes, and a sign of respect for their upcoming Victor.

When they arrived in the entrance hall, they huddled together in their age groups, each year side-by-side in cubic lines ready for those heavy wooden doors to open and allow them all inside.

The Ravenclaw's stood at the front on the right closest to the main doors which had been bolted down to prevent any escapes before the reaping. They stood with faces of stone, rigid and impassive. Each one of them looked like statues, hardened and wise long before their time. A few of them seemed to sniff proudly, but it was more likely they were fighting back tears.

Hufflepuff stood behind Ravenclaw looking a little more dishevelled. Some were pursing their lips and clenching their eyes shut, other's were clutching onto one another for support, some were sobbing silently into their hands. Their posture was a lot more relaxed, their faces more emotional.

Slytherin stood at the front on the left closest to the stairwells. They looked mostly blank, cold and somewhat aggressive. Slytherin had been known to do well in the Games most years partly because many of their students were pure-blood so they would receive specialist training which, although illegal, the Ministry would turn a blind eye to. Sirius watched them, he could see Snape standing with his hair hanging all around his face, the ugly git, amongst Mulciber and Avery whom were standing straight and tall and looked rather more like they should be in Ravenclaw. Wilkes, Barty, Rabastan and Regulus were all standing together, their hoods up and faces hidden but Sirius could tell they were solemn like good little pure-blood's always were.

Gryffindor stood behind Slytherin and opposite Hufflepuff, house table order, really. They were all a mixture of expressions and emotions. Most were calm and standing strong, as though ready to do this, ready to face what was about to happen. Typical Gryffindor bravery, really.

Every so often a teacher would pass by, searching classrooms and dormitories, occasionally pulling a crying, sobbing and begging student into line. Some kids, especially the younger ones, would try to hide and avoid the Games. Teachers searched the entire castle, mostly using magic to draw out hiding children and put them where they were supposed to be. It wasn't a job they particularly enjoyed, it was utterly heartbreaking seeing a few of the younger ones screaming and crying and begging to be let go, and some of them would be seen slaughtered in the arena when their names had been reaped. Sirius and his friends had deliberated running away from the Games, escaping and leaving but if you did manage to escape, you would be hunted for the rest of your days and when found, you would be thrown into the arena immediately if you were still of age, otherwise you would be sent to Azkaban for life without a reaping or a trial. It was too much of a risk, they would constantly be on the run and looking over their shoulders.

...

Over half an hour had passed before finally, the heavy doors opened with a deep creaking sound. Half the students jumped and became restless and anxious as they were taken into the Great Hall.

Each year the room was decorated, long house tablecloths ran the entire length of the tables, there were banners and house cutlery only used for special occasions and the sky was a hazy darkness. The only sounds were that of the footsteps making their way into the room and people slowly sinking down into the benches with anxious expressions and trembling hands.

When everyone was seated, the wall torches were dimmed, the enormous windows at the front were covered and everything was fully shut out, it was almost like it was night time, but it never was during a reaping.

All eyes were drawn to the headmaster sitting at the front in his golden throne looking calm and collected as he always did. Professor McGonagall approached wearing crimson robes, she said something to him in a low voice and the man nodded once giving her time to get seated before he rose to his feet and strode towards the podium.

"Good morning, everyone" Professor Dumbledore spoke loudly. "Another year has passed, and another year is upon us"

Sirius looked up and down the head table where all of the teachers stood, the heads of houses wearing their house colours, other teachers dressed in black or otherwise darker colours. The Minister was there sitting in his seat looking almost giddy with pleasure beside Dumbledore's throne. Sirius had to bite back his anger at that disgusting man.

"I would like to welcome each and every one of you to the 74th annual Hunger Games reaping," Dumbledore droned on, "as you all know, you are here as part of the Games to be reaped and we will shortly be finding out which of you will be entered into this years fight to win the ultimate crown"

Siris glanced around at people's faces. Some crown.

"You will be in for the chance of winning the golden crown of Victory, to receive eternal fame, glory, your name in the hall of legends and be showered with gifts you couldn't imagine in your wildest dreams," Dumbledore spoke almost fondly of the Games, "so I would like to give a warm welcome to all of our new students" he nodded around, his blue eyes grazing over some of the youngest students, "whom are gathering here for the first time, and a returning welcome to all of our living older students that are here possibly for the last time. As we all know, if you have already left seventh year you still need to come to the reaping as you are by law required to attend the reapings if your birthday falls between September the 1st of the previous year and August 31st of this year so if any of you know of someone who isn't here right now that should be, please speak up now and you will not be in any trouble"

There was a deadpan of silence where some students hung their heads, not because they were hiding anyone, but because they didn't want to be accused of it. Smuggling away someone that was supposed to be at the reaping would result in imprisonment.

"Good" Dumbledore managed a small smile. "Now it is with great honour that I bring forth our Minister for Magic a mister Coriolanus Snow" said Dumbledore, turning to the man.

Sirius watched as the aging gentleman rose to his feet wearing robes of black, his hair and beard white as he stepped forward and took the stand.

"And now on with the reaping. I wish you all the very best of luck and may the odds be _ever_ in your favour" he spoke, as he turned to the first glistening ball of crystal. A soft pink light was glowing through it and if Sirius stared at it much longer it might have made him sleepy. He watched very closely as the man stepped closer to it.

The entire hall was silent as the man closed his eyes and held out his palm, a light warm breeze blew over the hall. If Sirius weren't so worked up, he may have fallen asleep instantly but he figured that was what it was for, to calm people in case their names were called out.

A piece of parchment shot out of the top of the ball and fluttered down gently into the Minister's hand. He unfolded it carefully, observing the name. The entire school was holding their breath...

"Ruby Larken, Ravenclaw house" he said loudly.

Some people relaxed visibly.

Sirius turned to the Ravenclaw table and watched as a tiny little first year girl got shakily to her feet. From what he could see, she had long, straight brown hair and big brown eyes and a tiny little face. She looked barely twelve years old, this was obviously her first reaping. Sirius' stomach churned uneasily as he watched the little girl make her way nervously onto the stage.

"Don't be shy," said Snow, taking her hand. He smiled to her gently, passed her the name and gestured to where she should stand and wait. Surprisingly enough, she didn't look too frightened.

Snow turned back to the reaping ball, he held out his palm and the second name shot out and flew down into his hand. "Rabastan Lestrange, Slytherin house"

Sirius' eyes widened and he looked amongst James and Remus as the boy got to his feet looking powerful and confident. He didn't hesitate as he strode right up to the stage, snatched up his name from the Minister's hand and stood beside the little girl, towering over her despite only being three years older.

The next name fluttered down "Marlene McKinnon, Gryffindor house"

Sirius' head shot towards where Marlene was sitting a bit further up the table where the hall was slightly darker. She let out a sob as she got shakily to her feet, the other girls around her looked sympathetically and held out their hands to stop her from falling and as a sign of comfort to their friend. She almost tripped as she made her way up to the stage, barely looked at Snow as she took her name with trembling fingers and stood beside Rabastan with tears streaming down he face.

Sirius swallowed.

"Amanda Reklin, Ravenclaw house" she was a very tall, very skinny girl with very straight black hair and a very long face. She got up, took her name coldly and stood towering over Wilkes despite being only one year older. She was at least six feet tall.

"Robert Bell, Hufflepuff house" Robert was a shorter, stouter boy with a crop of light brown hair and a rounded face. He got up clumsily and took his name, avoiding eye contact as he stood looking miniscule beside Amanda.

"Amy Johnson, Gryffindor house" Amy was a fourth year girl with dark skin and big dark eyes. She was extremely athletic and strong. She took her name and joined the others.

"Thorfinn Rowle, Slytherin house" Sirius _hated _Rowle, he was a Death Eater in the making. Big, beefy and stupid as anything with his bright blonde hair and his big red, overly masculine face. He grunted as he took his name and stood there glaring around at everyone, he was almost as tall as Amanda the Ostrich, almost.

"Eliza Travers, Ravenclaw house" Eliza was a girl of a low average height, average looks and an average personality but she was extremely intelligent, more so than she let on. She rather reminded Sirius of a bush baby with her gigantic eyes and high IQ level, she was one of the smartest people in school and she was a third year.

"Barty Crouch Junior, Slytherin house" Sirius almost laughed when he heard that weedy, sickly little boy get up. He was too small for his age, too thin and his skin looked not pale, but as though he had been drained of all colour all the time which wasn't helped by his sandy blonde hair. He took his name and stood smirkng at Rabastan with complete and utter pride. He must have been trained.

"Lily Evans, Gryffindor house" Sirius' jaw dropped as did many other people's when Lily's name was called. He turned to watch her get up shakily, her mouth hanging open and her face terrified. Sirius closed his eyes when he heard James emit a soft sob beside him. This must be so much harder for James than anyone else in the world right now...

"Andrew Wilkes" Sirius' stomach jumped, almost with excitement as he watched Wilkes swaggering up there. What was it about the Death Eater kids that made them so arrogant?

Snow turned and allowed another name to flutter down into his hand, almost oblivious of the people watching. It seemed as though he were getting great pleasure out of this.

"Jacqueline Lindle, Hufflepuff house" she was a girl with long blonde hair, a beater for her Quidditch team so she was very strong and swift. She had very good eyes, but Sirius didn't know too much about her apart fro the fact she was 17.

"Peter Pettigrew, Gryffindor house" Peter yelped and staggered to his feet, tripping and falling to the ground with a thud but only a few Slytherin's laughed.

Sirius' lips parted and his eyes widened with shock, Remus pursed his lips, his eyes flipping down at his hands on the table. James hissed sharply, tears prickling in the backs of his eyes.

Peter staggered up there, crying rather loudly as he took his name and almost fell again. Wilkes glared dangerously at him.

"Rosalind Avery, Ravenclaw house" she was the older sister of William Avery, Mulciber's best friend. Sirius watched her, people always called her big tit Rosie because she had the largest breasts in the school and she always wore low-cut tops. Despite her looks, she was no whore. She was tall, curvacious and extremely vicious, she was more than intelligent and very well-built with blonde hair that Sirius suspected might not be her natural colour seeing as her brother was so dark. Sirius looked over to Avery, his mouth was hanging open and Mulciber rested a hand on his arm for support.

"Johnathan Crabbe, Slytherin house" Crabbe got up, he was of a slightly above average height but he was built like a rhinoscerous junked up on muggle steroids. He was incredibly powerful despite being dimmer than a wall torch with no light.

"Toni Lack, Hufflepuff house" she was slightly above average height, a decent build, eighteen years old and very crafty. All Sirius really knew of her personality was that she was friendly, she laughed too much and she was obsessed with nature.

Snow's lips almost curled into a tiny smile as another name shot out and fluttered down from the ball. Sirius could feel how tense people were just waiting and watching and praying their names wouldn't be called, or the names of their loved ones.

"Edward Tonks, Hufflepuff house" Sirius knew him as Ted Tonks, boyfriend of Andromeda, his cousin. He had just left school this year and was approaching nineteen in September but he still had to attend as he was of reaping age. Sirius felt a pang of guilt, the poor man had gotten married last week.

"David Goyle" another one of the cronies. Sirius sighed watching him pound his way up to the front. He stood tall, broad and just as powerful as Crabbe was but with slightly more brainpower. Slightly.

"Mary Macdonald, Gryffindor house" another girl from Sirius' year. The girl looked horrified as she got up and walked shakily but swiftly up to the stage and took her name. She was quick, swift and had a mouth for idle gossip that Sirius wasn't too fond of.

There was another pause as the Minister received and read off another name.

"James Potter, Gryffindor house" Sirius choked, he felt dizzy for a moment as James rose to his feet and walked up there. He didn't seem too upset, not nearly as upset as Remus was sitting there crying silently and not even trying to hide it. Sirius tried to catch James' eye but he couldn't, the boy was too busy smiling at Lily.

"Coelette Lovegood, Ravenclaw house" coelette was a peculiar girl with long, curly blonde hair, big green eyes and a curious look on her face with an unusually tiny nose and a pencil always behind her ear.

"Aquarius Malfoy, Slytherin house" Sirius only knew him as the brother of Lucius the Death Eater. He hadn't really heard much from the pompous, snobby twit, but watched as he took the stage with his long, bright blonde hair, his sharp, pointed face and little grey eyes.

"Narcissa Black, Slytherin house" Sirius wasn't really surprised. Narcissa looked shocked, even horrified for a moment but quickly composed herself and got to her feet. Her sister had won the Games a few years ago, the most brutal and vicious Victor so far. Narcissa would have been trained by not only her family, but a Victor and she could be an extreme threat.

"And now we are down to our final tribute" Snow said, not even bothering to hide his grin of excitement. "The hundreds of names still floating here contain one person that will be the last to enter this year's Hunger Games"

Sirius swallowed and looked down. The girls seemed to relax knowing that the final person would be a male.

Snow turned very slowly back to the ball, his eyes closed and he inhaled a deep breath. That warm sensation of air washed over them again as the name shot out of the top of the ball and fluttered down lazily like a little butterfly into the palm of the Minister's hand. He opened his eyes and slowly unfolded the paper.

The pause was painful, Sirius could practically hear all of the hearts pounding in people's chests as they waited and hoped it wouldn't be them or a loved one.

"Regulus Black, Slytherin house"

Sirius just about died right then and there. It was surreal. He felt as though his ears were ringing with water and his vision blurred slightly, threatening his consciousness as he turned in slow motion to his little brother.

Regulus looked petrified, he couldn't seem to hold his composure like the other Slytherin's did. Tears were trickling down his cheeks as he got very shakily to his feet. The tiny sob that slipped from his full, pink lips broke Sirius' heart.

"I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE" Sirius bellowed, jumping to his feet.

Remus gasped in horror and people turned in shock and amazement to stare at him.

Regulus emitted another strange noise and Sirius looked from his brother, up to Snow. "In _his_ place" he jabbed a finger at his little brother standing opposite him at the Slytherin table.

Even Snow looked taken aback. "I believe we have a volunteer" he hand an arm out towards Sirius. A few of the staff members clapped hesitantly.

Sirius felt numb but he swallowed and made his way up to the front and onto the stage. Instead of taking his own name, which wasn't there, he took Regulus' and stood in his little brother's place gazing over at him.

Regulus was shaking, his hands flew to his mouth and he collapsed weeping on the floor.

Snow cleared his throat impatiently. "And that concludes the reaping for the 74th annual Hunger Games. Your friends and family members up here will be given ten minutes to say goodbye to people at noon today and then they will be transported to London for training"

Sirius felt tears prickling in the backs of his eyes, his mouth twisted and he sniffed hard, holding his chin up. He was tall, he was handsome, quick and fairly strong, he shouldn't feel threatened by these people or let any of them see his vulnerability. He looked back over at the Slytherin table, just beyond Regulus, he could see Snape smirking...

...


	2. Chapter 1

They began to file out of the Great Hall through the side door at the top of the stage which teachers normally used when need be. Sirius averted his eyes and couldn't look at his brother on his knees crying, none of the boy's friends had come to his aide, instead they were just ignoring him, some looking embarrassing.

Their footsteps were the only things that could be heard as they made their way through into privacy. Some of the were crying, others were tense, some pale, some just looked surprisingly calm.

They were taken through into the room and the door closed, a couple of teachers and Ministry guards for security were standing by, making sure that none of the tributes could possibly escape.

"You will each be given a room to sit in where shortly your family members or friends or whomever you may have will come and say goodbye to you, each of you will have ten minutes and no more" said Snow, looking impassive.

Sirius swallowed and kept his eyes down, he didn't want to look this awful man in the face.

One by one they were taken away, led into their rooms to sit and wait. Each room had been cleaned of all furnishings, mostly classrooms which Sirius found rather bitter. He sank down on the sofa that had been replace there, wringing his hands out nervously. He couldn't begin to imagine what was going through Remus' mind right now, his three friends were going into the arena against one another, and Lily, he did like Lily, she seemed like a nice girl most of the time when she wasn't being a stuck-up pig.

Sirius sighed and ran his hands through his silky black hair. Regulus. Poor Regulus' face when Sirius volunteered for him, that innocent little look in his eyes. The boy was only fifteen years old and he didn't deserve to have his name pulled, but then again, neither did the twelve-year-old that was going in.

A small knock at the door dragged Sirius back from his thoughts. He looked up as Remus walked in looking as though he'd been crying with red circles under his eyes and puffy lips.

"Moony-"

Remus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Sirius in that brotherly manner Sirius was now accustomed to. "Sirius..." he breathed.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Remus' waist and rested his chin on the boy's shoulder. Remus was stretching up to meet his height, but it was nice all the same. "Moony, don't worry, everything's going to be fine..."

Remus sniffed hard and pulled back to look into Sirius' eyes. "How do you know that?!"

"Because it will, don't worry" Sirius wasn't sure he himself believed his words.

"After what I said to you, Peter and James?!" Remus gasped. "I said everything would be okay, I told you that we wouldn't be picked and all three of you were, what if you all die in those Games, Sirius?"

Sirius managed a weak smile.

"I don't know how I'd cope with losing any of you!"

"Remus, listen to me, everything is going to be just fine" Sirius breathed, resting his hands on Remus' upper arms. "You're strong, you're smart and you can survive on your own and one of us will be back to see you again, I'm sure of it"

Remus' eyes filled with tears and spilled over so rapidly, Sirius didn't have the chance to comfort him again.

"Time's nearly up, you should go and see James and Peter, they'll have other visitors so it'll be split"

Remus sniffled and shook his head, "I only came to see _you_, and besides, you have another person wanting to see you"

Sirius' eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Remus swallowed and averted his eyes, pursing his lips tightly.

"I couldn't let him down again, Remus, I just couldn't do that to him..."

Remus stared into Sirius' face, his eyebrows furrowing with shock and confusion, "Sirius-"

"No, Remus," Sirius swallowed, "I let him down when it came to allowing mum and dad to ruin him, I let him down leaving him with just the Slytherin's and I let him down by being horrible to him for all of these years, he NEEDS me to make up for that now..."

Remus looked as though he were about to burst into tears.

"TIME'S UP!" the guard outside the room called and tore open the door as though trying to spook them into leaving sooner rather than later.

Sirius quickly pulled Remus into a last hug before they drew apart and Remus had to leave. The guard watched the smaller boy leave, staring at him angrily before he turned his attention on Sirius.

"You have one last visitor, five minutes remaining" he said, practically shoving Regulus through the door and shutting it tightly behind him.

Sirius and Regulus stared at one another for a moment, only a moment.

Regulus raced forward into his brother's arms, sobbing, crying and screaming into them. "Why, why, why?!"

"Shh, Reg, calm down..." Sirius breathed, holding the boy against him. It had been years since they hugged, they hadn't touched one another since Sirius had left for his first year, after that, everything had changed between them, partly thanks to their parents and their ridiculous pure-blood mania.

"Regulus, I love you" Sirius whispered, his shoulders beginning to shake.

"Not before today!" the younger boy argued.

"You might be a Slytherin git sometimes, but you're still my baby brother" Sirius sniffed, as Regulus pulled back to look him straight in the eyes. The boy looked absolutely distraught.

"Why did you volunteer for me?" Regulus' voice was tiny.

"Because I've let you down so many times before and I don't want to let you down again..."

Regulus began to cry once more. "You've given your life for me..."

Sirius swallowed and managed a tiny smile.

"How am I ever going to repay you?"

Sirius stared at the younger boy for a moment, he knew it was more a rhetorical question than anything else but at the same time he wanted to answer it, "you can repay me by staying away from mum and dad and not becoming a Death Eater"

Regulus' eyes widened and he stared at his older brother his lips slowly parting.

"Don't pull that face on me, Regulus," said Sirius "I'm not silly and you're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for"

"But-"

"We don't have much time, I want you to take care of yourself and if you ever feel lonely or difficult, I want you to talk to Remus. He's going through hell right now the same as you are, I want you to give him your support and I don't care if you disagree with his blood status" Sirius' eyes narrowed when Regulus opened his mouth to protest.

"Fine" the younger boy swallowed.

"TIME'S UP!"

Sirius suddenly seized Regulus and pulled him into a bone crushing hug, "I love you so much, never forget that no matter what happens"

Regulus nodded, clutching hold of his brother for the last time, "I love you too," he whispered as Sirius pecked him gently on the cheek. Regulus was released instantly and with one last look at his brother, he left the room in tears only for the guard to stare at Sirius.

"You'll wait here until you're called and then you'll be taken to the Ministry"

Sirius glared but didn't say anything as the man shut the door on him again. _Could at least use some manners to a man that's walking to his death..._

...

Sirius wasn't left sitting in that little room on his own for long, maybe another fifteen minutes or so before the door was opened and he was allowed out. Looking up and down the corridor he could see the other tributes coming out looking equally as emotional or wary, some of them just looked blank and he had to wonder for the briefest of moments whether anyone actually came to see them or not.

"This way" said Professor McGonagall, beckoning them down the corridor to follow her. There was a moment of hesitation but with the guards all around them, nobody planned an escape, they just followed their teacher grim-face along the corridor and out of the school.

"Now I want each of you to grab hold of a Portkey, no more than four to one, that's it..." an elderly gentleman spoke as he stood supervising the tributes just outside the school gates.

Sirius took hold of an old green watering can in a firm grasp along with the little first year, Ruby, Amanda and Robert. That anxious crippling appeared in his stomach and he swallowed through his dry throat.

"Ten seconds!" the man called over the heads of the students.

Sirius used the opportunity to get one last look around, through the grounds and up towards the castle where he would be leaving his entire life behind. He was going to the Ministry where he would be trained for the Games, paraded in front of all of those people and then slung into an arena where he would face his own death at just sixteen years old.

"Three seconds"

Sirius swallowed and clenched his eyes shut, the grip on the boot tightening. He vaguely heard the man call out before that powerful snatching sensationof being sucked through a drainpipe washed over him and he was whisked rapidly into the air and away.

...

Back up at the castle, the mourning (or very relieved) students were released from the Great Hall. Remus was already out having gone to visit Sirius before he went, he slouched outside into the grounds. The sun was beating down overhead on a surprisingly warm day, it had to be in the early twenties as he went and sat on a bench in the courtyard putting his head in his hands. He'd been crying this entire time and wasn't so sure that he could cry much more, all three of his friends were going into the arena, they would be given their District's soon and they would be going to fight for the title of the Victor.

One honestly couldn't tell who would win the Games just from the reaping, some people were physically a lot stronger and larger than other's, but whether that would count for much in the arena especially if they were used to eating a lot, would be a different story. Remus hadn't a clue what chance Sirius would have in the Games, he knew Peter wouldn't have much chance but James might be okay and Sirius might be okay, it depends on how Sirius would feel about killing to save his own skin, after all, he did volunteer for Regulus to save the boy's life.

"Hey"

The voice startled Remus and he jumped, looking up into the face of someone, squinting in the sunlight. Regulus Black.

"May I sit?" the younger boy gestured to the space on the stone bench beside him. Remus nodded and he sat.

A silence passed between them.

"I feel awful" Regulus breathed, interlocking his hands between his knees, staring down at them. "I feel awful for my brother, he should never have volunteered for me"

Remus stared at him, blinking confusedly. Regulus had only spoken to him twice before and both times it was to tell him to get out of the way and call him a half-blood which infuriated Sirius to no end. He swallowed and nodded slowly.

"I am grateful to him for volunteering but at the same time I am furious because now I have to live with this... and if he dies..." Regulus swallowed hard, his eyes trained on his hands.

Remus had the sudden urge to slap the boy across the face, but he didn't. "Your brother must really love you to have done this, there's no guarantee he'll die"

"There's no guarantee he'll live, either"

Remus held back his words and sighed heavily.

"I understand what you're going through, you know..." Regulus swallowed.

"Why are you talking to me? I don't mean to be rude but you've never exactly been nice to me before" Remus blinked, turning to stare at the boy.

Regulus hesitated a moment. "I don't actually have a problem with you, Remus"

Now Remus just looked surprised, he'd never been referred to on a first name basis by a Slytherin before.

"I mean no disrespect. My brother, he asked me to talk to you, to be closer to you, it was the last request he gave me... and I don't want to let him down"

Remus felt a sudden wave of intense sympathy for the boy. He reached out and rested a hand on Regulus' shoulder, suppressing the idea of a hug because it would probably offend Regulus too much. "Of course you don't," he whispered, "and if you need me, I'm here for you, I can't imagine what it must be like for you right now..."

"What about you, you've lost every friend you had" Regulus blurted out.

Remus looked down at the pebbles on the ground.

"Sorry..."

"No matter" Remus held up a hand and smiled gently to the boy.

The two of them sat there for quite some time just staring into space, their minds filled with so many thoughts that they couldn't speak to one another.

...

Sirius arrived at the Ministry, landing very heavily on his feet. He grunted and groaned, staggering a little, the shock pains from hitting the solid ground of the Ministry lobby so hard. He took a moment to bend himself in two, resting his hands on his knees and shaking slightly, he wasn't nauseated, just hurting.

"Is everyone here?" the little gentleman from before called, striding around looking utterly immaculate in his long, Ministry official robes.

Sirius blinked twice and turned to look around at the other tributes, some were on their feet, others a little dishevelled, some were even picking themselves up off of the floor. There was a murmur of agreement.

"Good" said the man, " now follow me"

He began walking through the main lobby of the Ministry, the tall statues in the centre of the glistening fountain were magical. Sirius found himself staring at them dreamily as he passed.

There were normal Ministry workers there, plenty of tough-looking official guards and other people watching them pass in excitement and curiosity, many of them didn't even look back, but some tributes were waving and smiling, obviously a clever tactic in case it boosted their chances of sponsors in some way.

They were taken down a long, narrow corridor made of shiny black stone, they walked and walked and walked, their footsteps echoing until they finally reached a door.

"You will get into the carriages where we will transport you under ground to the training centre, you may have relax in your quarters and your stylist and makeup crew will arrive very shortly to make you look presentable and get you ready for your tributes parade" he spoke quietly but his voice echoed around the stone walls making it ring uncomfortably in their ears.

Sirius squirmed his toes a little.

The door opened and a cool breeze washed over them, pleasantly so, one might add as the tributes stepped forward through the doors.

"You'll receive your District number when you reach your quarters" the man spoke again, as Amy Johnson opened her mouth to question him as they passed. She fell silent immediately.

When it was Sirius' turn, he hopped into one of the carriages with Marlene McKinnon whom looked sick with fright before they began to quickly make their way to wherever the training centre was located.

"You know, I just had a dreadful feeling that I would be chosen this year..." Marlene spoke so quietly, Sirius took a moment to register it.

"Well, nobody can predict what will happen in the arena," he said, "you have just as much chance as the rest of us"

"Oh really?" her voice suddenly turned cold, "I have no special skills, no training and no talents for this, I'm not even that great at magic!"

Sirius pursed his lips, as much as he hated to say it, she did have a point.

"And now I'm going to be killed in front of he entire United Kingdom, that's four whole countries, Sirius!" she groaned in despair.

Sirius didn't say anything, he just stared at her, willing for this carriage ride to end soon.

After that, Marlene seemed to quieten herself down a bit. Whether or not she thought Sirius didn't want to hear this, or she just had nothing else to say, Sirius wasn't sure.

Thankfully the carriage ride lasted another half hour, Sirius was beginning to grow tired but still slightly agitated When it finally came to a stop, he was quick to get out and not look at Marlene again, despite liking her, she could be a difficult person to have a conversation with at times, and she was very emotional at times.

"Sirius Black?" a young woman spoke, running her wand down the side of a clipboard.

Sirius straightened up "yes?"

"Come with me" she smiled.

Sirius followed after her, leaving Marlene to stand there staring after him until a young man came to get her. He was glad to get away from the tributes, he was glad to be taken off somewhere as they were being led away. "Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to your living quarters, Sirius" she spoke gently.

Sirius nodded and swallowed even though she couldn't see him. They walked along a corridor, into a lift which closed the grating and began to rise through the power of magic up floor after floor after floor, all Sirius could reall see were flashes of lights and the occasional glimpse of a guard, a person or a noise. He swallowed, what had he gotten himself into.

Five minutes later and they reached their floor, the woman stepped out and walked swiftly along the corridor to the far end where there were two rooms. She took him to the furthest one and opened the door.

"This will be your room, your team will be here in a few minutes" she smiled sweetly.

"Thank you" he nodded, before stepping inside and she quickly shut the door behind him. She had to be one of the most polite people around here.

Sirius sighed and stepped along the short hallway, past a light brown wooden door which probably lead into his bathroom and into the spacious room filled with luxury bedding, chairs, ornaments, paintings, an enormous sheepskin rug and a glossy, vintage vanity table.

He sighed and flopped himself down on his bed, draping an arm over his face, blacking out the sunlight streaming through the enormous window. Sirius knew he could see out, but nobody else could see in.

How did he get himself into this mess?

...

Some time later, there was a knock at the door. Sirius startled and sat up, blinking around. He wasn't sure if he'd been sleeping or just dazed for a period of time, his thoughts finally coming into a crashing halt.

"Sirius?" the young woman with vibrantly green hair, long eyelashes that looked like feathers and a very painted white face looking at him curiously, a large metal box floating along behidn her.

"Yes?" he blinked as she was joined by a young man, shorter than the woman with brightly coloured hair and facial piercings, he smiled to Sirius rather brightly though.

"We're Flavius and Octavia, we'll be your makeup artists, your stylist will be along in a minute" the woman said, setting the case down with her wand and snapping it open. Sirius was quite surprised she could open anything with the vibrant, glittery talons she called nails.

"Don't look so worried, we're here to make you look fabulous" the man grinned and Sirius noticed that he too was wearing false nails.

Sirius sat up properly and watched curiously as they set up their station. He watched the man say something to the woman and she nodded. He turned, walked into the bathroom and Sirius could hear the taps running, he hadn't been in the bathroom yet but judging by the echo, it was probably nearly as large as this room was. "What exactly are you going to do to me?"

Octavia turned around to stare at him, blinking her enormous, thick lashes as she did so. "You're going to be bathed, inspected, possibly waxed, plucked and buffed into perfection. Luckily for you you've got a very handsome face so you shouldn't be difficult to work with like people are some years..."

Sirius swallowed and nodded slowly. He watched her continuing to inspect tools that women often used which Sirius found absolutely terrifying.

"Sirius?"

At the sound of his name he was beginning to feel too eager to get out of there, he jumped up from the bed and walked into the bathroom.

Flavius was standing in the middle of the enormous bathroom, the walls decorated with shimmering tyles decorated to look like pearlescent shells, beautiful golden sparkling floors and pristine white tubs. It was immaculate and utterly perfect.

"Use the pink one" Octavia said, appearing behind Sirius in the doorway, almost making him jump. She smiled sweetly to him.

Flavius nodded and began mixing several potions ranging from baby pink to magenta in the bathing pool, the bubbles frothing on top and some floating into the air smelling so fresh and sweet of strawberries.

"There" Flavius finally spoke, putting the empty vials away. "Strip off and jump in"

Sirius moved over to the side of the bath, hesitating for a moment he looked at the other two.

Flavius and Octavia both rolled their eyes. "You may have some privacy but we'll be back in five minutes, don't get out of that tub!" the man instructed, pointing a long, manicured nail towards the bath.

Sirius nodded and watched them leave before he peeled back his overly warm robes and stepped down into the pool. The water was incredibly pleasant, shimmering pink with a lot of bubbles. It tingled his skin as he walked in, lowering himself down to sit in it.

He exhaled deeply and rested his head back, closing his eyes for a moment. This felt so relaxing, he could feel each of his muscles giving in to the sensations of the water (probably thanks to the many potions in it) and his body becoming fully relaxed. Despite everything that was going on, where he was and what was about to happen, Sirius felt pretty good.

The two makeup artists were talking outside the room but he paid them little attention as he opened his eyes to gaze up at the sparkling ceiling. He could see a sunny sky either charmed over it or the real sky outside, tons of clouds and beautiful swirls were all over it. This room was like something you'd find in a church or a museum or even an unusual greenhouse, but then again they did make these things perfectly every year to give the tributes very luxurious last moments which many of them never had before.

"At least it's better than Grimmauld Place..." Sirius muttered.

"Oh good, you;re in the bath" Octavia said as she and Flavius appeared in the doorway again. Sirius would have jumped under normal circumstances, but this time he didn't even flinch, he was just too relaxed.

"The parade will be starting tonight, we only have five hours to get you ready" said Flavius as they both made their way into the room carrying various items.

Sirius sighed and watched them closely. "Is any of this going to hurt?"

"Not at all" the woman laughed, flopping her hand at him. "Honestly, some of these tributes can be quite confused" she giggled to Flavius.

"I'm a pure-blood," said Sirius, "I know what it's like to have a life of luxury and believe you me, it's not all it's cracked up to be"

They exchanged glances but smiled anyway and headed over to him.

Before Sirius could stop them, they had pulled on him and were scrubbing his body down with sponges and clothes and too much soap. They weren't being rough, but they were very ruthless, even in his more intimate areas he definitely didn't want them to touch.

"Stop wriggling! Honestly!" Octavia exasperated.

"You'd think he would assume we've never seen a naked young man before" Flavius chuckled.

"I don't assume anything, I just wish you wouldn't be poking those things around in places I don't even poke things around!" Sirius said back, he didn't sound too angry though.

They both laughed.

"I like this one, I'm glad we have him this year" Octavia grinned, the scent of her perfume was almost overwhelming.

When they were done, they covered Sirius in some sort of cream or soap and allowed him to sit in the bath for another ten minutes before they pulled him back to his feet and scrubbed him down again.

Whilst he was allowed to sit, they set to work washing his hair, massaging oils and conditioners and potions through it to make it healthy and shiny and even glossier than it normally was.

Sirius didn't feel too insulted by this despite the fact he knew he wasn't dirty, he'd had a decent bath last night, but by the time he'd gotten out of this one and they'd dried him off with a blast of hot air from their wands and then a towel to make sure he was buffed off, he felt as though he'd been given an entirely new body of skin, like he'd been reborn of something. Nobody could get this clean.

"Am I allowed to-" he was cut off by them passing him a white, thin dressing gown that was too short for his liking.

"Come back through here and we'll get you waxed" said Flavius, opening the door again.

Sirius hesitated, his eyes widening with shock.

"Stop looking as though you've never heard of waxing before, we need to do it in some places" said Octavia.

With a heavy sigh, Sirius followed them back into the room. They had him sit up on one of the tables and lie back down flat as a board. He could hardly see what they were doing until he felt something warm in a peculiar sort of strip on his leg. A second later and he yelped in pain.

"Don't do that!"

"You've not got enough hair on your legs for them to be acceptable and you've got great legs so we're not going to let you cover them" said Flavius, ripping the next strip off.

Sirius hissed and winced.

This went on for another ten minutes, they even turned him onto his front to wax and pluck and even shave at the other side of his legs before buttering him up with some strong, strawberry moisturiser that relieved the pain instantly.

He was just about to get up off the table when Flavius walked up to him, lifted up his arm and slapped a strip onto his armpit. "You haven't got much more than a little black peach fuzz here, so we're going to get rid of it"

"Wait-" Sirius cried out as they ripped the hair from under his arms, both at the same time. His skin was burning for a few moments before they plucked at the final hairs and slapped on some moisturiser.

_How did some women manage to survive this on a regular basis? _

When they were done, they lifted up the front of his dressing gown despite his gasp and protests.

"Kept himself trimmed, he'll be fine for now" Octavia nodded.

Sirius felt a rush of relief wash over him and they allowed him to get to his feet. "What are you going to torture me with now?"

They burst out laughing, "he is so amusing!" said Octavia.

"You can relax on a chair and we'll do your nails for you" said Flavius, spelling his hands clean.

Sirius went over to the most plush, comfortable chair in the room. He sat back and sighed, right now he was beginning to wonder just how much torture the Games would be compared to this...

They filed, snipped, buffed and even clear coated his nails to perfection, hands and feet, and Sirius found it rather pleasant at times. It wasn't painful, it wasn't horrific and it sure as heck wasn't embarrassing.

"We're going to let you have something to eat now" said Flavius, when they finally started packing away the nail equipment.

Sirius sighed outwardly with relief and actually found himself grinning. He walked over to the bed and sat himself down, watching and waiting as a plate of food and a jug of iced tea arrived for him. He wolfed down the meal of caesar salad chicken baguettes and a plate of hot, fluffy chips cooked to perfection.

"We're going on a break, we'll be back in thirty minutes" Flavius nodded as he and Octavia left the room.

When the door closed, Sirius heaved a heavy sigh. Now wonder the tributes often looked harassed or even pained when they were on their parades.

Despite everything that was going on, Sirius missed home. He wondered what Remus would be doing now, glancing at the clock, he sighed. He'd probably be up in the dormitory curled on his bed or looking out of the window, dinner would be in a few minutes, would he eat? Would Regulus bother to eat? He hoped they were going to take care of themselves whilst he was away.

It didn't seem real, none of this did, none of this truly seemed like it was happening. Down the hall, his District partner would be getting herself ready, he could only hope it was someone decent and not his prissy cousin, big titted Rosalind, creepy-arse Amanda or someone that was planning to chop his head off the moment he got into the arena.

With a sigh, Sirius turned over curling up on his side to gaze out of the window. These would be his final days of life, he couldn't spend them worrying and being miserable, he had to try to make the most of this and perhaps even win some sponsors, without them there's a very good chance that he would die in the Games. Well, there would be a very good chance of that happening anyway...

He had to wonder just what was planned for this year. What the arena would be like, the training centre, the other tributes, the scores and even what he would wear to the parade tonight and the interviews.

Swallowing, Sirius closed his eyes, the waves of anxiety washing over him again. This had to be some sick, twisted dream, it just had to be...

...

When Flavius and Octavia returned, they were talking and laughing to one another.

"All set to get back to work?"

Sirius looked up at the woman and nodded slowly, sitting himself up.

"Right, we'll prepare your skin for the makeup and prepare your hair for styling" said Octavia, clapping her hands together.

Sirius moved to sit over on the little chair they were asking him to. Immediately they set to work rubbing lotions and potions (literally) into his skin and using some type of peculiar sponge to buff it all away.

"When the cameras go on you, we don't want to see a pore, we don't want a single blemish and we don't want anyone to see you as anything less than perfect" said Flavius with a smile.

"It's our job to turn you into perfection" Octavia jumped in.

Sirius swallowed and allowed them to pick and poke at his skin some more.

"Two hours left before you need to leave" Flavius exhaled heavily, looking over at the time. "We have so much left to do"

"So much left?!" Sirius gasped, "we've been at this for hours!"

Octavia just smiled and carefully began to paste some type of pale cream onto Sirius' skin with a pink and white brush.

"What's that?"

"Makeup," she replied, "to make you look perfect"

Sirius swallowed and allowed her to carry on.

There was a knock at the door, Flavius called whomever it was in and a moment later a young man with bronzed skin and vibrantly purple hair came in followed by a woman Sirius instantly suspected to be much older than she really was with spiky aqua blue hair.

"Hello, Sirius" the man greeted with the warmest of smiles, showing every single one of his dazzling white teeth. "I'm Cinna I'll bet your stylist, and this is Venia, my assistant" he gestured to the sullen woman.

Sirius nodded to her and kept his eyes on the much friendlier man.

"Let him stand up" Cinna spoke politely to the other two.

Sirius rose to his feet and Cinna pulled his dressing gown off. Sirius gasped, his hands flying to cover his body as the man walked around him in a circle, examining him.

"He looks fine" Cinna concluded and Flavius and Octavia seemed to relax a lot.

Sirius yanked his gown back around himself and knotted it at his waist as he sank back down in the chair just daring anyone else to ask him to remove his clothing.

He sat for another forty five minutes feeling more and more powder being put onto his skin, his face contoured, his eyelashes curled with the heat of a wand and coated with lashings of black, his eyebrows pinched and plucked a little, his eyes shaded out slight and his hair brushed and primped into perfection.

"We need to get you dressed" Cinna smiled, he snapped his fingers and a rack of clothing shot into the room, the door slamming shut behind them.

Sirius almost jumped with surprise.

"You'll be representing District 1, it's lucky you have such good looks, it'll be easy to make you look luxurious" Cinna grinned again, his teeth sparkling and when Sirius looked closer, he noticed the man did have little tooth gems on.

Sirius swallowed and was finally allowed to pull on a pair of white satin boxer shorts and some black socks.

Cinna and the other's helped him into his outfit, it was a pair of black trousers and long, flowing red robes encrusted heavily with dazzling gold and red jewels and glitter. It trailed along the floor made from fabric softer than what anyone could possibly imagine. Sirius felt like he were wearing a baby seal, but he wasn't.

He stood with his arms out allowing the to pick and move and alter his clothing to perfection, he was allowed a drink and to put on his glossy gold boots (also encrusted with gems)

When they were finally done, Sirius turned and stared at his reflection in the mirror, someone almost unrecognisable stared right back. His lips parted with shock and his eyes widened dramatically.

"There, I think we've made a pretty good job of you" the Octavia grinned excitedly, clapping her hands together.

Sirius just continued to stare at himself, never in his life had he ever expected to look like this. He looked incredibly handsome but almost like a porcelain doll at the same time. He looked... perfect...

"Luxurious indeed" Cinna agreed, folding his arms over his chest.

...

Back at Hogwarts, the entire school was once again gathering in the Great Hall. They were about to watch a projection of the beginning of the tribute parade, the commentaries and the tributes themselves appearing for the first time all together in their Districts, looking as immaculate as possible.

Regulus could feel the eyes of some of his Slytherin friends burning on his back, he knew for now he would be safe, no way would they act out in front of all of these people, teachers and officials.

...

Sirius arrived at his carriage under the enormous stone canopy. He stood at the first carriage, petting one of the sleek black horses, its blinkers and cart wear dazzling with red and gold stones.

The carriage itself was glossy and black encrusted with red and gold stones, sashes and deep black velvet seats.

"So, I guess we're District partners, huh?" a small female voice spoke up.

Sirius turned around and came face-to-face with the little girl Ruby. For a moment there he felt very surprised.

"District 1, Luxury" she smirked, her eyes grazing over the horses.

Sirius took a moment to register what she was wearing. A dazzling red dress shimmering with bright red jewels, her heavy chain necklace made entirely from gold with what he could only assume were real diamonds set into it. Her long, thin earrings, her jangling gold bracelets and her sparkling boots. Her hair was allowed to fall down her back in loose waves, the entire bottom of it had been turned red so she looked like it was on fire, her face had little makeup on but black eyeliner and some mascara. "We're matching" he chuckled.

Ruby smiled sweetly, "you could say that"

"You're surprisingly confident for this, you seem so relaxed" Sirius said, tilting his head to one side.

Ruby rolled her big brown eyes, "did you not get one of those baths?"

Sirius laughed, "as a matter of fact I did"

Ruby smirked again, "You've got to take things a little light-heartedly right now, no use getting all worked up, we haven't even been to training yet!" she almost laughed.

Sirius stared at her in complete surprise. She was shockingly mature for a twelve-year-old.

"Tributes mount the carriages!" a womans voice called out.

Ruby hopped up into the open top carriage and settled herself down in her seat grinning at Sirius. He climbed in beside her and sat there as the woman walked past shutting the half door and chaining it closed for safety. Sirius could see Cinna chatting with Octavia, Flavius and Venia. He swallowed and glanced behind him at the other tributes getting into carriages, some snapping at one another or just completely ignoring each other.

A voice boomed over the crowd and Sirius could hear it echoing around them, Caesar Flickerman, news reporter for the _Daily Prophet_, was talking over his wand speaker.

"Good evening and a warm welcome to all of our sponsors, viewers and crew" Caesar began slowly. "Tonight is the night you've all been waiting for, after the dramatic turn of events yesterday at the reaping, we're very excited to meet our tributes for the first time in their parade"

"That's right, Caesar," the other man sitting beside him said quickly, "the sponsors will have a chance to really get a good look at the tributes they like best at this stage"

"Now, without further ado," said Caesar, grinning excitedly, "let the parade begin!"

The music was blaring, the crowd cheering and Sirius could only catch a glimpse of Cinna nodding to him before the chariot took off. He rose to his feet holding onto the little rail and put on his best false smile as the horse clip-clopped their way along the stone tunnel and out into the centre of the stands.

The walkway was enormous, lights were shining down brightly on them and the night's sky above was so dark. The crowd erupted into roars of delight, waving banners with District numbers, colours and streamers , cheering and clapping, their bright colours standing in stark contrast to the darkness.

"And here is the District 1 chariot, as you can see they are dressed in only the finest Swarovzski crystals and real diamonds, the highest forms of luxury there is!" Caesar declared excitedly.

Sirius was overwhelmed and began to sweat, he glanced at Ruby standing beside him waving her hand lazily at the crowd and looking thoroughly bored by the whole thing. He had to wonder if she actually knew she were on the brink of going into the Games.

"Yes, one of the more interesting Districts having both the twelve-year-old, Ruby Larken, and the handsome, brave volunteer, Sirius Black!" the other man said in utter delight.

"Mm, I have to wonder just what chance a twelve-year-old has in the Games" Caesar said, almost bitterly.

"Oh, she might surprise you, Caesar!" the other man said again.

"And here we have District 2!" Caesar's eyes flickered to the second chariot painted a deep bronze made to look like a roman warrior chariot, even the horses were a deep bay colour.

"Yes, Narcissa Black and Andrew Wilkes!"

"I love their costumes, Narcissa is wearing a typical cotour outfit, black leather leggings with bronze knee pads, leather chaps, boots and a body plate with matching shoulders. It's so regal, so strong, she looks like a true warrior!" Caesar said in delight.

Narcissa dutifully smiled so sweetly showing all of her perfect, small, white teeth. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a high, long, poker straight ponytail, slicked back at the front and both her top and bottom lashes were thick and false. Someone had heavily shaded her cheekbones making them extremely dramatic, you couldn't deny that she looked beautiful but extremely deadly at the same time. Her arms were cuffed with heavy gold bracelets.

Wilkes was beside her, the reporters found his outfit slightly less intriguing. He wore a leather suit and heavy bronze breast plate, he looked strong, though. They both stood tall, their faces set but smiling and waving gracefully look good pure-blood's do.

"District 3!" Caesar beamed with delight. "They have such exciting costumes every year, so complex, it really captures the theme of the District!"

Their costumes were black bodysuits, shimmering silver and extremely tight. Their shoots were padded moon boots with a white fur trimming and on top of their head a peculiar series of silver gears, ariels and other Muggle objects were stacked sort of like a table centre piece. They were smiling and waving on perfect cue. Their chariot was shimmering with vibrant aluminium foil.

"Ted Tonks and Coelette Lovegood" Claudius replied. "

"District 4!" Caesar moved on. "James Potter, he's wearing a typical greek god outfit, long flowing white robes with a blue pattern around the cuffs. These are currently being sold all over the country as high fashion"

"Look at the rope around his waist, it almost looks like a real rope but it's actually made from handwoven silks and seashells" Claudius pointed out. "Look, Toni Lack is wearing a matching one entwined through her hair like a long braid"

Toni stood behind James whom was waving with both arms and grinning excitedly, she waved excessively with one arm grinning falsely. She wore a long mermaid gown made of pure white with some pastel blue detailing. Her entire breast area was covered with seashells and the chariot itself was painted a beautiful sea green and covered with thousands upon thoughsands of seashells in every colour of the rainbow.

"District 5, always a difficult one for the stylists" Claudius pointed out as the fifth chariot came trotting along, the horses were smoldering black with a chariot painted like grey clouds with lightning bolts, realistic ones, painted onto it.

"Mm, yes, they're wearing what appears to be lab coats and suspenders which are equally stylish at the moment among the younger people of the country, especially the boys" Caesar agreed.

Aquarius Malfoy stood tall, chest puffed out, waving as though he were royalty at the crowds like they were his loyal subjects. He wasn't wearing a hat, but his hair had been swept back into a low ponytail, his lab coat trailing in the bottom of the chariot he looked smart physically and intellectually. Mary Macdonald stood beside him in a short dress, enormous fake glasses and a hard hat looking like a little boy with her hair tumbling around her shoulders.

"District 6, another tough one" Claudius pointed out.

Thorfinn Rowle was wearing long, blue, denim overalls and a conductors cap. The black belt around his waist seemed to make his muscles bulge dangerously. But the crowd were whistling for Rosalind Avery, she was wearing a skimpy little tight dress, a conductors hat, stockings and her cleavage out. It wasn't hard to see what angle they were going for...

Their chariot was painted to look like the Hogwarts express, beautiful, scarlet and it earned even more cheers from the crowd.

District 7 passed in their typical beige, patterned outfit with glistening leaves hanging down from their hands, arms and braided through their hair. Jacqueline Lindle and Robert Bell. Their chariot had real branches charmed onto the sides of it, some of the leaves scattering off behind them as they went.

District 8 and Lily Evans came out with her hair in two pigtails in giant pink bows. Her dress was a typical ragdoll dress made from frilly patchwork colours that looked like they had been stitched together from all kids of fabrics with long, frilly white socks. She stood smiling and waving with Peter at her side, sweating and waving hesitantly with nerves, he wore a matching little pair of shorts, shirt and blazer made from the same material and two large pink circles on his cheeks. Their chariot was covered in long sashes of every colour of the rainbow in every fabric they could find.

District 9 bright Amanda Reklin and Crabbe wearing bright white t-shirts, dungarees and worker boots with straw hats. Grain. Crabbe looked utterly ridiculous in his like a man-child crossed with a scaregrow. Their chariot was bright gold and covered in glitter.

District 10 would have made anyone laugh, Amy Johnson was dressed in an adorable, fuzzy cow onsie with flowers painted on her face and Goyle was dressed like a bull with an enormous ring clipped through the centre of his nose. Sirius thought Goyle's outfit suited him perfectly. The crowd cheered and tossed some of the remaining flowers to Amy in adoration. Their chariot was designed and painted to look like open fields and beautiful meadows.

District 11 and Barty Crouch Junior was dressed as a scarecrow, even stuffed with straw with padded him out a little. Marlene was dressed as a forest fairy and the outfit suited her well in gold and blue with pretty pink trimmings, her dress was short and shaped like flower petals, she even carried a fake wand wrapped in ribbons and vines. Their chariot was absolutely covered in beautiful flowers.

Finally District 12 emerged with Eliza Travers and Rabastan Lestrange wearing long black robes with dazzling red, amber and gold jewels embroidred into place in flame designs, they sparkled vibrantly in the light, their chariots painted with flame designed. The crowd roared with delight.

...

"I see him" said Remus as the District 1 chariot passed by again, they could see Sirius a little more clearly now looking reasonably okay despite his overwhelming situation.

"His outfit suits him" Regulus agreed with a nod.

"He's so handsome" one of the girls further down the table sighed.

"Looks like a doll"

"He's perfect"

Regulus felt himself growing slightly angry but bit back his words when Remus rested a hand on his arm.

"Don't get upset about it, it may win him sponsors" the Werewolf breathed.

Regulus swallowed, tears prickling in the backs of his eyes once again.

...

Sirius' ears were ringing as his chariot pulled back away from the crowd in a circle and eventually passed back through the dark tunnel into the entry way again where they had originally come from. It stopped at the far end and Cinna and the other's came rushing over to let him out.

"You did wonderfully, both of you" he smiled, nodding to both of them. "Ruby, it would have been nicer if you' have shown some more enthusiasm, but we can work with it, don't worry"

"I'm not worried at all" she sighed, stepping down from the chariot and heading back towards the lifts again.

Sirius stared after her. He had to wonder what made her so... bored...

"Never mind her, sometimes tributes hide their true feelings" Cinna said in a low voice.

Sirius swallowed and nodded.

"Come on, let's get you changed, fed and into bed. You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow when training begins" said Cinna, resting his hand on Sirius' upper back as the boy stepped down carefully from his chariot.

Sirius swallowed, his stomach churning. Tomorrow things would seem less surreal, tomorrow he would be heading into the training centre with everyone else, tomorrow he would know more about the tributes. Tomorrow he may even make some allies...

...


End file.
